Iran security chief warns Tehran will target distant US bases, including in Europe

Tehran [Iran] : Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, has warned that Tehran would target all US military bases, including distant installations in Europe, if Washington launches another "attack" on Iran, asserting that the country's defensive and offensive capabilities have significantly strengthened since the beginning of the war.

According to Iranian news agency ISNA, in an interview with Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen network on Wednesday, Rezaei said Iran would not restrict its response to American military installations in the region and could also target islands and distant bases that Washington believes are beyond the range of Iranian missiles.

"If the Americans make a mistake and attack us, we will not only target nearby bases; we will target all nearby bases, and we will also attack distant American bases. I mean distant American military bases that we have not attacked so far," he said.
"We may also target some islands that they think our missiles cannot reach. We may even target some American military bases in European countries; if American planes take off from a distant military base and come to this country to bomb Iran, we will also target that base," Rezaei added.

"Therefore, our defensive and offensive capabilities are now much greater than on the first day of the war," he said.
Rezaei also ruled out transferring Iran's enriched nuclear material abroad, asserting that Tehran would retain its entire stockpile for domestic applications, including nuclear-powered vessels and small modular reactor (SMR) power plants.
"Not a single particle, however insignificant, of the enriched material will leave Iran, and all of this material will remain in our own possession," he said.

"We have also told our Russian friends that all enriched material will remain inside Iran and we will use it ourselves, because we have many applications for it," he added.
On diplomatic engagement with Washington, Rezaei said Iran was awaiting a clear response to its seven conditions for further negotiations, rejecting reports that talks between the two countries were underway.
"The response we received from the Americans in this regard was a 'deceptive' response and had a lot of ambiguity and confusion," he said.

According to Al Jazeera, Iran's demands include lifting post-MoU economic sanctions, ending the US naval blockade, unfreezing restricted assets and drawing down the regional US military footprint.
Linking the diplomatic engagement to the Strait of Hormuz, Rezaei maintained that Iran would not reopen the strategic waterway until its conditions were implemented.

"We have announced our seven conditions, which are the rights of the Iranian nation. Until these conditions are implemented, the Strait of Hormuz will not open," he said.
He also identified ending hostilities across West Asia, particularly in Lebanon, as a priority for Tehran's diplomatic approach.
Meanwhile, Iran's Defence Ministry spokesperson Reza Talaei-Nik dismissed US claims about the state of Iran's military as misleading, asserting that the country's defence capabilities remained strong.

"Iran's military capabilities, backed by strategic production and advanced technologies, go beyond Trump's and the loser Pete's misleading statistics," Talaei-Nik said on X, referring to US President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

"The outcome of the war is clear: either acceptance of Iran's legitimate demands or the enemy's surrender on the battlefield," he added.
The developments come as G7 foreign ministers condemned Iran's attacks against neighbouring countries and the disruption of trade, energy security and the global economy caused by the obstruction of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a joint declaration on Wednesday (local time) following the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris, the ministers called on Tehran to respect its international human rights and humanitarian law obligations and to "cease its persistent attacks against civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz".

"We recognised the United Kingdom's attribution of Iran's involvement in the incident at RAF Fairford on 27 September. Iran should be in no doubt that we are united and remain committed to safeguarding our sovereignty," the declaration said.
The ministers also termed the continued strikes by Yemen's Houthis against Saudi Arabia "unacceptable".
On maritime security, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said it had taken legal action against two bulk carriers accused of using forged documents to sail through the Strait of Hormuz towards Gulf ports without its approval.

According to Al Jazeera, the vessels avoided being added to the authority's blacklist after accepting unspecified commitments. The PGSA did not identify the ships or specify when the incidents took place.
The authority said vessels on its blacklist faced fines, detention or seizure. On November 2, it added 114 vessels to the list in its largest update since the blacklist was created in August.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Turkiye on Wednesday to attend the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), where he accused Washington of threatening global peace and security.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian criticised US military actions against Tehran, saying, "They waged war, claiming to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Then they used the PrSM missile in Lamerd for the first time. Now they invoke the 'Mother of All Bombs' to pursue diplomacy through threats. No contradiction, but a disgrace. Who threatens global peace and security?"

Before departing for the summit, Pezeshkian had said that the United States and Israel were facing political fallout stemming from their military actions, as reported by Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency. He said he would use the gathering, attended by 196 nations and 71 delegations headed by presidents or prime ministers, to raise concerns over environmental damage in Tehran and neighbouring territories.
On the same day, General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, had warned the United States and Israel against further military action, asserting that any entity threatening Iran would become a direct target of asymmetric operations.

"Every threat hub targeting Iran will become a direct target of asymmetric operations. We warn the enemy that the previous slaps were only the beginning. The uninterrupted production of weapons has been made possible even under enemy fire and heavy bombardment. Production lines deep underground are increasing the country's assets," he said.
On the diplomatic front, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticised Washington's approach towards Tehran, accusing the US administration of repeating what he termed unrealistic and inhumane policies.
In a post on X, Araghchi referred to remarks made eight years ago by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and accused US Secretary of

State Marco Rubio of repeating similar rhetoric.
"Eight years ago, a cartoon character like Pompeo said Iranians must follow White House diktat 'if they want to eat'. Today, Rubio, whose fellow Cubans are victims of the same policy, repeats that drivel. Forget about the inhumanity. It's the delusions that are producing failed US policy," he wrote.

In Washington DC, according to an Axios report, US President Donald Trump has opted to intensify economic pressure on Tehran rather than resume military strikes or agree to a peace deal under terms considered unacceptable to Washington.
With military threats, maritime restrictions and disagreements over nuclear material continuing alongside diplomatic efforts, tensions in West Asia remain high, while the prospects of a breakthrough between Tehran and Washington remain uncertain. (ANI)